HOUSING AND FEEDING OF CATTLE. 107 
stagnant water such as are often seen. Let also gutters be 
placed round the eaves of the house or sheds* to carry away 
the rain-water* that it may not saturate the manure and wet 
the bedding of the cattle. 
66 Feeding loose-boxes now come to be considered as the 
third of the series referred to* and when these are for one or 
two cattle* they ought either to be altogether under roof* or 
have a yard similar in size outside to the space within* and 
should also be provided with troughs and racks* as in the 
yard first described. The cattle can either be fed by having 
a bole through the whole for each box, or by means of a pas- 
sage along the inside of the walls. Either plan most conve- 
nient to the root-shed or store may be adopted. 
i( Having given a general outline of what I consider to - 
be the best methods of^erecting houses of each kind for 
fattening cattle, I shall now proceed to explain what in 
my opinion is the most effectual system or plan for fattening, 
and the food I find best calculated for the attainment of that 
end in the shortest period. I shall suppose the beginning of 
October as the time the cattle ought to be housed* and that 
they are put so as to require at least six months’ feeding, 
and be worth at that time say £10 or 10 guineas each. 
For the first fortnight I give nothing but turnips (tops and 
bulbs), with a regular supply of oat- straw fodder* as well as a 
piece of rock-salt to each beast. This they have constantly 
before them while feeding. At the end of the first fortnight, 
I gave them in the morning* at six o’clock* 2 lbs. of oil-cake* 
and immediately afterwards as many turnip bulbs as they 
can eat* taking care that their troughs are empty by eleven 
o’clock, a.m. I continue the one o’clock bait of turnip-tops 
and bulbs same as before. At the end of the first month* I 
feed in the morning as last described* then at one o’clock 
p.m.* give two lbs. of oil-cake each, after which what turnip 
bulbs they can consume. Before putting in the turnips* I 
have a basketful of cut oat or wheat-straw to each beast laid 
on its trough ; so that while eating their turnips* they at the 
same time take up the cut straw* which greatly assists their 
digestion, as they masticate their turnips better* and fewer of 
them serve. At the end of six weeks* I give along with the 
oil-cake in the morning two lbs. of ground corn* &c. — 
generally oats, barley* and beans mixed ; with a supply of 
turnips and cut straw. The mid-day bait is the same as in 
the course preceding. At the expiration of two months* I add 
two lbs. of the mixture to their bait of oil-cake* and at one 
o’clock in every other respect the feed given is the same as the 
last. I continue this course until within six weeks from the 
